Under his old deal, Fitzgerald would have earned $12.75 million next season and counted a whopping $18 million on the cap.

The wide reciever has said he wanted to work with the Cardinals regarding his pay.

“When those discussions come I will do what I need to do,” Fitzgerald told Arizona Sports 98.7 last week. “I have a great relationship with (GM) Steve Keim, he drafted me in Arizona. I understand his vision and what he is trying to do and the direction he is taking this ball club. I understand at 30 years old there are things that need to change. That’s part of football, that’s part of being an older veteran.

“I want to see this team do well. I love this group of guys. Patrick (Peterson’s) deal is coming up and he needs to be compensated as the best corner in the game, which I feel he is. We’ve got to take care of Karlos Dansby, Frostee Rucker, there are a lot of guys that deserve to be compensated for their play. And I understand that.”

It appears the former Pittsburgh Panther won't lose any money, just recieve it in a different form — a quicker form.

The move seems logical for both the team and the player. The Cardinals were a game away from beating the 49ers for a wild-card spot in last year's playoffs and are certainly a team worth watching out for in the NFC. Any extra funding could help Keim get his franchise back to the Super Bowl.

Fitzgerald is on his third contract in his 10 NFL seasons, all with the Cardinals. Last season, he made his eighth Pro Bowl. Fitzgerald holds every Cardinals career receiving record.

He caught 82 passes, most on the team, for 954 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. In his career, Fitzgerald has 846 catches for 11,367 yards and 87 touchdowns. He has not missed a game since the 2007 season.

The Cardinals, coming off a 10-6 season in their first year with Keim as GM and Bruce Arians as coach, had several players on one-year contracts, including inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, who resurrected his career with a big season, leading the team in tackles.

Azcentral.com reported that the restructuring was a simple swap of bonus money for salary, saving the team about $10 million on the coming season's cap.

Cardinals President Michael Bidwill expressed confidence last week that the restructuring would get done.

Keim has repeatedly said the team has no intention of trading Fitzgerald and wants him to retire a Cardinal.